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Missouri Animation Schools: Most Expensive to Least Expensive

Missouri is home to 138 Title IV degree-granting institutions. A Title IV school (1) has accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, (2) has been in business for at least two years, (3) has signed a participation agreement with the Department, (4) grants an associate's degree or higher, and (5) they offer a program of at least 300 clock hours in length. Once a school has met these requirements, it becomes eligible for federal financial aid programs. This makes them more accessible to students with financial need.

Many Title IV colleges in Missouri have excellent art and design programs—including animation. The animation programs offered through these schools are high on the list of the nation’s best programs for aspiring animators. Some are expensive, while others are considered affordable. Fortunately, thanks to Title IV status, future students have access to a variety of financial aid programs.

Continue reading to find out which Missouri schools offer animation programs and what you can expect to pay.

Benefits such as a smaller population than places like LA, New York and Chicago, tax incentives, and an eager talent pool make Missouri (particularly St. Louis and Kansas City) an easy place to produce films. Just a few popular movies filmed in Missouri include Winter’s Bone, Up in the Air, Waiting for Guffman, and Escape From New York.

The film scene here helps strengthen the animation scene by creating a steady flow of work for the state’s 300+ salaried animators and multimedia artists. These individuals earn a good living too. The average salary for Missouri-based animators is $58,930 per year.

Besides an active film industry, major citeis such as Kansas City and St. Louis are home to a number of animation studios as well as creative agencies, technology firms, and gaming companies that hire animators. Just a few include:

2e Creative, St. Louis

AniMagic Productions, St. Louis

Branit FX, Kansas City

Element Eleven, Nixa

Fat Chimp Studios, St. Louis

Bazillion Pictures, Kansas City

Fuse Advertising, St. Louis

Hub & Spoke, Columbia

Kochan & Company, St. Louis

Scottrade, Inc., St. Louis

Trinity Animation, Lee’s Summit

Graphite Lab, St. Louis

While employment opportunities are available in a numebr of cities across the state, some of the best opportunities can be found in major cities such as Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Independence, and Columbia.

Awesome Animation Fact: Using 3-D computer software, models can be built, colored, and animated in a virtual environment. Computer animation, unlike stop-frame animation, does not need the model to be placed in every position of a movement. Instead, key poses are set and the computer creates the positions in between. -Fact Monster